Improvement in bases for plated ware



1. JEP SON.

Bases for Plated Wares.

Patented Feb. 3, 1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.TOlIN JEPSON, OF VEST MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MERIDENBRITANNIA COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BASES FOR PLATED WARE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,135, dated February3, 1874; application filed December 10, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JEPSON, of \Vest Meriden, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Basefor Plated \Vare and 1 do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnectionwiththe accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a side view of a vase-holder, the base of which embodies thisinvention; and in Fig. 2, a vertical section of the base.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of the baseupon which rest articles of plated ware, table services, or otherarticles usually supported upon a base, and particularly as a substitutefor the bases formed with a glass-mirror upper surface.

These bases are usually formed with a cavity to receive a glass mirrorfor the upper surface in order to produce the effect of a highlypolishedsurface. This efiect cannot be given in the metal of which platedarticles are usually formed, as that is not capable of receiving apolish sufficiently high to produce the desired effect, and whenpolished to the highest degree it is capable of receiving, the metal isof so soft a nature that it is very easily defaced. The construction toreceive the glass makes the base an expensive part of the article.

The object of this invention is to avoid the use of glass and overcomethe difficulties of soft metal and it consists in forming the base witha hard-metal top or surface nickel-plated.

A is the rim or edge of the base B, the top, which is formed fromsheet-brass, or other hard sheet metal capable of receiving a very highpolish. The surface of this plate is polished to the highest degree, andthen plated with nickel and again polished. This gives to the surfacethe appearance of a mirror, and the efl'ect is that of a mirror. Theplate and the nickel surface, both being very hard, are not easilydefaced by cleaning, and the construc tion is very little, if any, moreexpensive than a common soft-metal base.

The form of this base is no part of the invention, and while representedin the drawings as a vaseholder, the base may be used for articles ofplated ware, table service, ornaments, and figures, the highly-polishedsurface of the plate reflecting the article resting upon it in the mostperfect manner.

I claim as my invention A base for plated ware and other articles,consisting of apolished and nickel-plated hardmetal top, and an edge, A,formed on or attached thereto, substantially as specified.

JOHN JEPSON.

Vi tnesses C. 1. Ivns, F. SPENCER.

